McCready and Rhee Victorious for Planet Pool 9-Ball Tour Return

McCready and Rhee Victorious for Planet Pool 9-Ball Tour Return Andy LincolnThe 2004 season is underway, and the Planet Pool 9-Ball Tour is back in force. Record-breaking field sizes of 117 in the open and 30 in the women’s division competed the weekend of February 7-8 for $8,800 in prize money. The venue was Orange Ball Billiards in Rockville, MD, and the playing conditions were excellent. Twenty-eight beautiful Brunswick Gold Crown tables were covered earlier in the week with Simonis 860 cloth. The friendly staff, elevated viewing area, and numerous big screen TV’s make Orange Ball a fan favorite as well. This was a $2,500 added event made possible by Orange Ball and several loyal tour sponsors.
Saturday began with a presentation of prizes for the top players of 2003 in the open division. The “Elite 16” received embroidered shirts for their finish on the year-long points list. The top four were Mike Davis, Keith McCready, Pooky Rasmeloungon, and Shaun Wilkie, who all received cues and/or cash. Davis is also sporting a slick new embroidered jacket.There were no notable upsets on Saturday, as most of the top players advanced. By early evening the large field had been reduced to 16 winners and 16 competitors holding on in the elimination bracket. Sunday was a different story, as Rasmeloungon and Wilkie lost decisions to newcomers Bill Duggan and Greg Sabins. Steady tour performer Richard Keefe was having an excellent weekend and promptly took out Sabins and Duggan to reach the hot seat match. The bottom half of the bracket saw Gerry Slivka knock down Mike Davis 9-3 before falling to McCready 9-5. Keefe shot out of the gate and reached a 7-4 lead before McCready caught a groove, winning 5 games to take the 9-7 win.On the one-loss side, Slivka again defeated Davis, this time by the score of 7-2. Keefe maintained his methodical approach against the quick-shooting Slivka and won 7-4 to take another shot at McCready. The final stayed close, but it was the veteran McCready taking a 9-7 decision for the tournament win.“What a way to start off the new Planet Pool Nine-Ball Tour,” McCready said after his win. “We had over a hundred players, and there were some new faces in the crowd as well as the regular players. Nick Prinsloo, Andy Lincoln, and CeCe, the guys who run the tournament, are the brains behind this operation, and if it's anything like last season, I know we're all in for a great new year. Thanks, Planet Pool Nine-Ball Tour, and keep it going!”The women’s division also started out with prizes for 2003. There were shirts for the “Elite 8” and cue/cash combinations for Sueyen Rhee, Malea Haacke, and Amanda Smith for their top finishes. Rhee will also be sporting a new embroidered jacket.Several new faces joined the tour regulars to make this the largest women’s event to date. Sueyen Rhee escaped a hill-hill safety battle with Malea Haacke and then cruised through the young sharpshooter Ellen Yu to reach the hot seat match. Rhee’s opponent was Darlene Lewis, who had worked her way through some tough matches. This match went to Rhee 7-4. Gwen Dickert was making her way through the elimination bracket, placing Yu into fourth place. She then gained her revenge on Lewis to take her shot at Rhee. Dickert did not get going early as Rhee raced out to a 6-0 lead. The next three games went to Dickert before Rhee closed it out 7-3.Open Results:1st $1,500 Keith McCready2nd $850 Richard Keefe3rd $600 Gerry Slivka4th $400 Mike Davis5th $250 Jim Henson, Bill Duggan7th $200 Nick Prinsloo, Brandon Shuff Women's Results:1st $450 Sueyen Rhee2nd $300 Gwen Dickert3rd $200 Darlene Lewis4th $120 Ellen YuVisit InsidePOOL for the latest from the sport of billiards and pool.

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